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ISCR Case 23-01356 — CASE

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ISCR Case 23-01356

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date7/2/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Edward W. Loughran
Government Counsel: Sakeena Farhath
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 40-year-old employee of a defense contractor, applying for a security clearance for the first time. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guidelines F (financial considerations) and J (criminal conduct). The core allegations included significant child support arrears exceeding $68,000, four additional delinquent debts totaling around $4,000, and an eviction from his apartment for failure to pay rent. The applicant had a history of criminal incidents, including multiple arrests and charges from a young age.
During the hearing, the applicant admitted to the financial issues outlined in the SOR and acknowledged the eviction, attributing his financial difficulties to his marital separation. He claimed to be working on resolving his debts and had engaged a credit repair company, although he had ceased payments to them prior to the hearing. Regarding his criminal history, he admitted to past offenses but asserted that he had not used marijuana since 2007 and had made significant life changes since then.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not mitigate the security concerns related to his financial issues and criminal conduct. The judge noted that the applicant's history of financial irresponsibility and criminal behavior raised doubts about his judgment and reliability, which are critical factors in determining eligibility for access to classified information. The decision emphasized that the applicant's claims of rehabilitation and efforts to address his debts were insufficient to alleviate the concerns raised by his past actions.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-01356

deniedJul 2, 2024· Hon. Edward W. Loughran· hearing

Summary

A 40-year-old defense contractor employee was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). The denial stemmed from significant unresolved financial issues and a history of criminal conduct.

Specifically, the applicant had child support arrears exceeding $68,000, which he did not voluntarily pay. Additionally, he was evicted from his apartment in December 2023 for non-payment of rent. His criminal record included multiple arrests for drug-related offenses, such as possession of marijuana.

The judge determined that these issues raised doubts about the applicant's reliability and trustworthiness. The applicant failed to provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial and criminal concerns, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had significant child support arrears exceeding $68,000 and was evicted for failure to pay rent.
The applicant's criminal history included multiple arrests for drug-related offenses, raising doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness.
The applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial and criminal concerns.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(b)appliedUnwillingness to Satisfy Debts Regardless of the Ability to Do So
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 31(b)appliedEvidence of Criminal Conduct

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 1, 2023
Answer filedAug 9, 2023
Hearing heldFeb 14, 2024
Decision dateJul 2, 2024

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Denial of Security Clearance Based on Criminal Conduct Under Guideline J
Failure to Mitigate Significant Child Support Arrears and Eviction Issues

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns under Guideline F, including significant child support arrearages and a recent eviction for failure to pay rent. Ultimately, the judge ruled against the applicant on most allegations, concluding that the financial issues raised security concerns that were not sufficiently mitigated.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Credit reports list his child support arrearages at more than $68,000. $68,000	Against Applicant	Child Support Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	He did not voluntarily pay child support.	Against Applicant	Child Support Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	You were evicted from your apartment in December 2023 for failure to pay rent.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d–1.f	3 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (2 against, 1 for the applicant). (low confidence)	Mixed			—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline F). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline J (Criminal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, less than two ounces, but determined there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the applicant possessed marijuana in 2019. The overall ruling on Guideline J was against the applicant, leading to a denial of eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, less than two ounces.	For Applicant	Drug Related Criminal Charge	Charged Not Convicted	Denied	(b) evidence of criminal conduct, regardless of charge or conviction	—	—
2.b–2.e	4 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (2 against, 2 for the applicant). (low confidence)	Mixed		—		—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline J). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.